Eagles Today

It's Too Early To Panic About Eagles In This Offseason Of Change

The Philadelphia Eagles will look different on the field and on the assistant coaching staff, but that's nothing to worry about - not yet, anyway.
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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It started with an acorn that landed on the head of a character named Chicken Little in an early 19th century fable. Chicken Little panicked, believing the sky was falling, so set out on a quest to inform the king, finding various fowl along the way and telling them the sky was falling, only to find out he was duped by a sly fox who ate them all.

Sound sort of familiar? A region of Eagles fans seem to be in a panic over what has happened so far in the Eagles offseason, an offseason that isn’t even a month old. Acorns are falling fast and furiously, causing some social media posts viewed recently that go like this:

“My gut feeling is we are in trouble.”

“I fear the Eagles are in a free fall.”

The sky is not falling. Not at all. The Eagles are changing. Change can be a scary thing. It’s the fear of the unknown. Change can also be a good thing, a chance to refresh and begin anew.

Here’s what quarterback Jalen Hurts shortly after the season ended on Jan. 11: “Changes have not prevented us from having an opportunity to go on championship runs. With all the changes, and all the things that have gone on, and changes over time, we still found ourselves in the playoffs and in the positions to be in the tournament and play in the tournament.”

Eagles' OC Change One Of Many Moves Coming This Offseason

Kevin Patullo
Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Dumping Kevn Patullo was expected. The loss of Jeff Stoutland incited the panic. How dare the Eagles lose a veteran coach universally liked by his players, after 13 years?

It’s OK.

The Eagles' defense absorbed some key losses in free agency last year. It was OK. Thanks to some strong drafting by general manager Howie Roseman and his staff, some talent development, and the defense's coordination by Vic Fangio, the defense still finished the year ranked 13th overall, eighth against the pass, 22nd against the run, and led the league in scoring defense, allowing just under 17 points per game.

It wasn’t the Super Bowl defense that finished ranked first overall, first against the pass, and 10th against the run. Still, it was good enough to bail out an ailing offense, win 11 games, and make the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.

Now, if the worst case happens - Hurts can't adapt to Sean Mannion's offense that will require throws over the middle, the run game stays stagnant, the offensive line regresses once again, well, then ... duck, the acorn will fall on your head.

Right now, though, there isn’t any reason to think the sky is falling, not if the offense can do its part with the new changes, and the defense can take another step forward. Do that, some things had to change, and that’s OK.

More NFL: An Unexpected And Unwelcome Surprise Could Impact The Eagles' Offseason Plans


Published
Ed Kracz
ED KRACZ

Ed Kracz has been covering the Eagles full-time for over a decade and has written about Philadelphia sports since 1996. He wrote about the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 World Series, the Flyers in their 2010 Stanely Cup playoff run to the finals, and was in Minnesota when the Eagles secured their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Ed has received multiple writing awards as a sports journalist, including several top-five finishes in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards.

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